Bernadette Stevenson Caruso was last seen in 1986, but for her family, the sense of urgency when it comes to solving her case is greater than ever.

Her nephew, Ryan Bowerman, said the family is raising money to buy sonar equipment so they can search for her remains and her car in waterways near where she disappeared, and they said there's enough circumstantial evidence to bring the case to a grand jury.

"There are people who are key factors in the case, and if they die, we're going to lose that testimonial evidence. So, it's critical that we get this information before the grand jury sooner than later," Bowerman said.

The Dundalk mother disappeared on Sept. 27, 1986. She was last seen at work at a jewelry store at Eastpoint Mall. At the time, her co-workers said she was going to meet her estranged husband.

Family members said the pair was in the midst of a bitter custody battle over their 3-year-old daughter, and Caruso had filed a domestic violence charge against the husband.

"He had been kicked off the local police department for brutality, and that was the last time she was seen," Bowerman said.

He said the family believes there's enough evidence to prosecute. His father, Sam Bowerman, was one of the lead investigators in the case and married Caruso's sister years later.

"We've really been beating at the door of the state's attorney's office for years now and just feel like we're getting nowhere," Bowerman said.

Three years ago, the family asked Baltimore County state's attorney Scott Shellenberger to take another look at the evidence. Shellenberger did and decided there wasn't enough, in part because Caruso's body was never found.

The family is still trying, using new methods to crack the cold case. Caruso has a Facebook page and a website, as well as about 400 online signatures petitioning to get the evidence in front of a grand jury.

"We're really pulling out all the stops at this point. It's been 27 years," Bowerman said. "At this point, we just want to do everything and anything to have justice."

Shellenberger said he sympathizes with the family but still believes there isn't enough evidence. He said if something new surfaces, he would be willing to reconsider.